The Uber of the underworld
Just as Uber upended the taxi industry and Airbnb reshaped the hotel business, the criminal underworld is undergoing its own digital revolution. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Everything's possible at Harrods, proclaims the website of Britain's glitziest department store. Alas, on May 1, this universe of possibilities included an attempted cyber attack that forced the company to restrict internet access at its sites, it said. The attempted intrusion came just days after hackers took down computer systems at Marks & Spencer (M&S), a supermarket and clothing retailer which says the disruptions will cost it some £300 million (S$521 million).
These breaches, which also hit the Co-op supermarket chain, were more than just costly cyber attacks. They are worrying examples of how crime is evolving beyond simple street thuggery, or even the work of small groups of clever hackers, into a global service economy where anyone with cryptocurrency can buy the tools to paralyse a multinational corporation.
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